Games can boost executive function skills that can be generalized towards academic tasks. This post includes how this can happen and 6 picks for older kids.
Read MoreExecutive Functioning and Academic Achievement
It seems that executive functioning has become quite the buzz word lately, but at its core, executive functioning is vital for success both in and out of the classroom. Before we can discuss literacy success, we need to be talking about the executive function system.
Often, I hear parents tell me they never heard of this term until their child’s school mentioned it as an area of concern for which they needed support. When I first meet with these parents, this is the “executive functioning in a nutshell” overview I often provide:
Our executive function system is the air traffic control system in the prefrontal cortex of our brains that helps us to successfully navigate our everyday lives. Imagine an airport where flights are arriving and departing. It is critical for an air traffic control system to efficiently keep up with the hustle and bustle to avoid accidents and to help operations run smoothly. Executive function skills are vital for working toward academic success, building and maintaining personal relationships, and managing everyday tasks and responsibilities.
These are the executive function skills I focus on:
PERCEPTION & ATTENTION: Knowing what to attend to and how. There are four types of attention: sustained, selective, alternating, and divided.
COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY: Adapting to an unexpected change; also considering different perspectives in decision-making and interpreting information.
WORKING MEMORY: How we process and use information. It allows us to hold on to information while working with it. It is the mental sticky note.
ORGANIZATION: Systems that are developed to keep track of belongings, assignments, and information.
METACOGNITION: Thinking about one’s own thinking; recognizing what is unfamiliar or confusing.
TIME MANAGEMENT: Gauging the length of time a task will take, and then using that time efficiently.
PLANNING: Thinking about and anticipating the future; prioritizing an order in which to complete tasks.
TASK INITIATION: Efficiently getting started on a task. It is the opposite of procrastination.
PERSEVERANCE: Using strategies to work through challenges and frustrations to complete a task.
INHIBITION & SELF-REGULATION: Optimally managing and regulating thoughts, emotions, actions, and words.
SELF-MONITORING & SELF-EVALUATION: Checking in with ourselves to reflect on our thoughts and behaviors while making necessary changes.
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My Favorite Decodable Books (And Why)
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It was the summer of 2021, and fellow mom-friend Brooke Vitale and I got together to catch up over breakfast. It was raining, outdoor dining was closed, and so we sat in my car with the windows cracked open—just enough to let in airflow, not enough to let in the rain—and enjoyed the morning discussing what back-to-school might look like in this new pandemic era and what was on our professional plates.
Brooke is an author with 20 years experience in the publishing industry. I’m a literacy specialist with 20 years in the education field. Brooke shared her plan of starting an independent publishing company, and I asked if she had thoughts about publishing decodable texts—books that beginning readers can actually read based on a clear scope and sequence, and without using cues that aren’t rooted in phonics instruction.
That day, the idea for the (aff link) Charge into Reading Decodable Readers was born. Brooke would use her experience and talent as a storywriter, and I was thrilled to fill the position of literacy consultant.
Here we are about two years in with a complete product that includes 9 stages of decodable readers. I love them. And NOT just because I’ve been a part of the creation process, but because these are the decodables I wish I had had years ago. Why? Each of these decodable sets includes six features that truly make them a must-have.
1) DECODABLE WORDS THAT FOLLOW A SEQUENCE
There are 9 stages in the Charge into Reading decodable series, and each book in each stage methodically introduces words relevant to the phonics sequence for that stage while building upon knowledge of spelling patterns in previous stages. Words are thoughtfully used to align with the sequence. (The sequence is available here.)
STAGE 1: Short Vowels
STAGE 2: Consonant Blends
STAGE 3: Digraphs
STAGE 4: Long Vowel VCE
STAGE 5: Word Ending Spelling Patterns
STAGE 6: R-Controlled Vowels
STAGE 7: Vowel Teams
STAGE 8: Diphthongs
STAGE 9: Advanced Spelling Patterns
2) Complete transparency
Before placing an order, you can get a full list of words in each text. This transparency allows the buyer to preview all the words in each book. Are there any words you will need to pre-teach for vocabulary or other purposes? Do you just want to know the content and word choices for the text you will introduce to your young readers? No surprises. A complete list is available prior to purchasing.
3) LIMITED HIGH FREQUENCY WORDS
We all know that most books can’t be written with JUST the words from the sequence for that specific stage, although these come very close! Ultimately, writers have to make room for some high-frequency words—these may be words that are decodable but with patterns readers haven’t yet learned (we or for), or words with irregular spelling patterns (said). There are a very limited number of such words in these texts, but again, there is also full transparency so that the buyer will know which words they are ahead of time.
4) a storyline! (AND ADDITIONAL LITERACY ACTIVITIES)
Each book was thoughtfully written with a true storyline. Each 14-page story has an added 8 pages of sound-specific literacy activities and is bound together in a just-right-size book for little hands.
5) Incidental INclusion of diverse characters
Children need to see themselves reflected in stories as main characters who are not there for the purpose of educating others about who they are or what their challenges are. This was something Brooke and I discussed early on, and we have made a point of ensuring that every stage of the series features diverse main characters whose job is not to educate others about their identities or disabilities.
6) tier 2 vocabulary
Who says decodable vocabulary has to be dull? Perhaps one of my favorite features of these books is the academic vocabulary. Some of these words are multi-meaning words which can be the basis of an engaging language activity. Let’s take one of the Stage 2 texts, The Plum Plot. How many different meanings of plot can you think of? The main events of a book, to secretly plan and carry out an action, and a parcel of land. In a Stage 9 text, The Sleigh, all three homophones pear, pair, and pare are used. As we move along each stage, we include words such as: mulch, cove, hedge, sparse, boast, waylaid, and trawler, just to name a few!
If you get a chance to check out these books for your young reader(s), I’d love to know what you think!
The Keys to Spelling Success: Part 3
(POST PART 3/3)
In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, I discussed the first six keys to spelling success that I ensure to integrate into my instruction:
This post will be about the ways in which multi-sensory practice, new concept reading, dictation, and mnemonic devices play roles in supporting spelling knowledge and fluency.
MULTI-SENSORY PRACTICE
Multisensory learning doesn’t just mean writing in sand or shaving cream! While these activities can be fun and engaging for certain purposes, there are a wide range of activities that can be multisensory AND low prep for all grade levels and content matter.
Multi-sensory instruction is the delivery of information through different sensory modalities. A multimodal approach is highly beneficial for all learners in order to maximize successful instruction. In fact, it has been confirmed with neuro imaging studies that following instruction that is multisensory, there is increased activity in the brain’s information processing as opposed to receiving input that engages only one modality. (Willis).
These are the three different modalities students can engage in to receive multi-sensory practice.
Visual. Visual practice is learning by seeing. Examples of visual instructional practice include using photographs, illustrations, charts & graphs, diagrams & maps, video, cues, and flashcards during instructional practice.
Auditory. Auditory practice is learning by hearing. Examples of auditory instructional practice includes conversations, retelling, mnemonic devices, storytelling, singing & rhythms, rhymes, and read alouds.
Kinesthetic & Tactile. Kinesthetic and tactile instruction is learning by doing. Instructional practice within this modality incorporates textures, writing, manipulatives, and movement.
NEW CONCEPT READING
When students are introduced to a new concept, it is important to practice reading that new concept at both the word and sentence levels. New concept reading is decodable for them and focuses only on the new spelling pattern(s) and previously taught ones. To free up cognitive desk space, decodable texts are imperative so students are not expending energy trying to figure out other spelling patterns in the sets.
DICTATION
In addition to reading new concepts in words and sentences, dictation at the word and sentence levels must also be an integrated part of acquiring and retaining new spelling patterns.
mnemonic devices
A mnemonic device is a method that helps to recall and retain information. It’s a memory tactic. While spelling should not be taught through rote memorization, sometimes a mnemonic device can prove helpful. Here are a few examples:
The words HERE and HEAR are homophones. The second one can be easily remembered because the word EAR is in the word, and we HEAR with our EAR.
The word COMFORT can be tricky because of the r-controlled vowel sound that sounds like /er/. What do I tell my students? I ask them to think about the most comfortable piece of furniture in their house besides their bed. They usually guess the couch! Then I ask, “What do lots of little kids like to build using the couch cushions?” Many times, they answer, “A fort!” The word FORT is in COMFORT.
When remembering the spellings for could, would, and should, a fun way to remember them is to say the first sound its corresponding letters followed by “o u lucky duck!”
It is usually the silliest mnemonic devices that stick, and it’s a good start to getting students in the habit of thinking about these memory techniques to help them along the way in many academic areas.
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